Insomnolence
by Lacrow
Summary: Every night, it happens. Since he was a child, the night terrors pull Soul awake and force him to watch, only now they're getting worse. And as he and Maka struggle to find a cure, they find their window of opportunity is quickly closing with each passing night. Can they end his suffering before it's too late, or will Soul finally find his permanent sleep? Part of Resbang 2019!


**Disclaimer: **Hey all! This is a story I've been working on with my artist partners mich (m-lahulia..tumblr. post/189728565449) and nova (nyxique..tumblr. post/189724848092/my-second-resbang-is-half-done-this-is-only-one as part of Resbang 2019!) Go check out her artwork for the piece, as part of it was used as the cover for this story. It was a lot of fun writing, and we hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Insomnolence**

* * *

Lying on his side of the bed, he watched them dance. The shadows on the wall that shouldn't be there.

There was no light in his room. There couldn't be shadows without light. But, there they were.

Their forms twisted and morphed, captivating his full and strained attention. Heavy claws of sleep pulled down at his reddened, dead eyes, tempting him with something he ultimately couldn't partake in. All he could do was stay glued to the bed, forced to watch as demons, spirits, whatever they were, taunted him in their play. The ceiling fan above him whirred, droned, lulling him into the half-sleep he'd grown accustomed to over the decades. The shadows wanted him alive, needed him to be, but only just barely.

A hand took form along the wall. Or maybe it didn't. He couldn't make out what it was supposed to be. Whatever it was motioned for him, tickling the air, begging him to come closer. It wasn't there. Shadows don't leave their plane. They're stuck, like him on the bed. There was nothing in that room besides him and the warm body next to him, but she wasn't there, either. Not at the moment. Or maybe…?

He couldn't break his stare to check. He felt her shift under the covers, though that was probably just in his head. Just like everything else. Nothing was real.

Was there even a room to begin with?

Air hissed through sharp teeth. The only thing he was sure of was the breath in his lungs, the feeling as it left him alone, only to return again a moment later. He wasn't dead. Not yet. Not until the breath failed to come back to him, not until the shadows decided to steal it away from him. But they wouldn't. They hadn't had their fun with him, yet. They wanted to play forever, so they'd let him live. For now. Until they got bored. And...then what?

Inky void swirled into the shape of a head, a skull, something. The wall stared at him as he stared at the wall, two empty things, one in the same. He grinned. He didn't know why he was grinning. His dry eyes watered, having forgotten how to blink. The shadows grinned back. They didn't. They can't. But he felt their smiles, beckoning him to come closer. His hand twitched, wanting to reach out and oblige. He wanted to end it all, or start it all. However, whatever. His legs wouldn't carry him. Maybe they still had sense to them. Maybe, they simply couldn't

His right arm was the only thing that could move. It slowly lifted up, inching towards the wall. The wall did the same. Darkness on darkness painted the air as it dangled over him, beckoning for him. The man watched a hand, a claw, a tentacle, flirt with bare skin. It didn't touch him. Wouldn't. Couldn't. His breath left him once more, but it didn't come back. That one thing that kept him grounded to his body was stolen, captured. The darkness played with it, promised it to him. If only he'd come closer. Then he could have it. _Get up_, they called._ Come, and_ _I'll give you life_…

"...Hey," a soft whisper burned the cold of his ear. "You're okay, Soul. I've got you."

Shadows blacker than night disappeared. Darkness brightened The room suddenly felt both more and less empty than before. Soul continued to lie there with his arm outstretched, eyes twisted, frozen, as he stared at the wall. His body was paralyzed, for the moment. He stayed fixed there as arms coiled around him, a sensation of something that'd left him being returned. The woman shared her breath, warmth stinging his cheek as she hugged him from behind. There was nothing said between them. He couldn't reply, not yet. Not until he slowly started to feel again, as if blood dethawed and began to flow once more.

A few minutes of basking in lightened void, and he slowly returned to normal. His stiff arm creaked back to its usual spot next to him. He eased into the woman's embrace. Red eyes finally found rest, heavy eyelids slamming shut for what felt like the first time that night. He sucked in air as his bedmate took a hand and stroked white, messy locks. The sensation overwhelmed him; Feeling something other than numbness was too much right now.

"I'm sorry," she murmured into his back. Her voice rattled his whole body. "I didn't feel you move."

"... It's alright, Maka," Soul breathed. Lungs ached at the effort. "I don't think I was in it that long…"

He had no way of knowing that. It felt like an eternity, but then again it always did. Every night, without fail, it would happen. Something would keep him from falling asleep. Sometimes a figure in the corner of the room, other times it was something much worse. They weren't real, but that never stopped his body from forcing him to witness them until Maka snapped him out of it.

At this point, every night started to blur together. For all he knew, he'd been in it for hours this time. Did it really matter, anyway? The result was always the same. He'd lie there afterwards feeling lower than dirt. Maka would comfort him. They'd go to bed. He'd get a couple hours of sleep and force himself to get up and go to work as if nothing had happened. Then night would come. It would repeat, as it had since he was little.

Sometimes he just wanted to end it all. Permanently.

That wasn't an option, though. Just a thought. One that he rarely entertained, almost solely because of Maka. She kept him from getting lost in his head, like now as a tug pulled him back to his senses. He obliged, the feeling of soft covers and skin always being just enough to comfort him. She lay on her side and he melted into place next to her, burying his face into her long blonde hair. Maka would've preferred to face him, but this was how he slept. The more he felt her, the better. Touching someone else kept him grounded. She figured that out a long time ago.

As if on queue, a sudden snore rattled her whole body. She smiled somberly. It happened faster this time, normally taking him a while to finally fall asleep. His exhaustion extended to her, as if a disease that quickly gripped her. Maka found her eyes start to lid, the feeling of Soul's rumbles rocking her like a lullaby that ultimately took hold. Her final thoughts before passing out were devoted to Soul and how best to fix all of this. She had some ideas.

But, for now, they would sleep.

* * *

Soul stood in the corner of the room, leaning against a bookcase with his arms crossed. He preferred it over sitting down, which for some reason reminded him of the times when the shadows would come to visit. Maybe it was just the act of being forced to stay in one spot for long, even if there was nothing forcing him to remain there. Regardless of the reason, Maka seemed to understand even though he never directly told her. All the more reason why she had come with him to this thing; besides having been the one to set up this little meeting of theirs, she was also the only person who knew him so well.

The sooner Professor Stein got there, the better. Maka sat uneasily in a cushy leather chair, unable to find a comfortable spot despite shifting constantly. She huffed in defeat after a moment of struggling, simply deflating and accepting the uncomfortable thing. Soul watched her as she squirmed, smirking as her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. She caught his amusement and narrowed her eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Maka growled, leaning low in the chair.

"Nothing at all," Soul replied, looking the other way. His smirk grew larger. "You're cute."

"...Ass." She also looked away, hiding a smile as it crept across her face. Silence fell over them like a blanket.

Soul glanced at the assortment of books behind him. Most didn't have any title on the binding, but some did. The ones that did all had titles like, _Curses and Maladies, _or, _History of Evil_. His eye twitched at the dowerness of them, but, he supposed, that's why they came here in the first place. If there was anyone who could help him, it was going to be this guy. Honestly, Soul didn't know who this professor was, but Maka did. One of her mentors from college.

...What exactly she was doing around a guy like _this _in college though, Soul didn't want to know. He'd told her something similar earlier, but she just laughed. _He's older, _Maka explained. No need to worry. Not that he was jealous. If anything, he was more concerned about why she was studying demons and shit in the first place. But, then again, Soul couldn't help but stretch himself out a little bit taller, just in case. Better to be safe than sorry…

A knock on the door. Both he and Maka turned around to see it open, revealing a man in a lab coat bearing thin glasses and a clipboard. He was...very tall, Soul cringed. The professor, Stein, did look older as Maka had explained, but not quite what Soul had expected. He still seemed young, even though his hair had turned prematurely grey. It looked good on him, though. Definitely a strange fellow, regardless.

"Professor!" Maka beamed, squirming out of her frustrating seat. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Likewise," Stein nodded to his former acquaintance. He gave a reserved smile.

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice. I know you're probably very busy, but we've been...well…"

Maka looked over to Soul. He looked back, puzzled. The expression on her face was apprehensive, as if not knowing what was appropriate or not to reveal. The thought was appreciated, but he simply nudged his head, silently telling her to go ahead. Her lower lip disappeared as she considered for a moment. Stein stood there in the meantime, scanning both her and Soul. His eyes especially seemed drawn to the white-haired man, almost fascinatingly so.

As Maka found the words, Stein had a few of his own for Soul. "Hello, I'm Professor Franken Stein."

The man raised a brow. The same guy from the novel? "Soul Evans. Thanks again for helping us, professor."

"You don't bleach your hair, do you?" the Professor asked bluntly, catching the man completely off guard.

Soul looked to Maka. She seemed just as taken aback as he was. "Uh, no. It's always been like this."

"And, your eyes. No contacts?" Stein prodded, nodding when Soul shook his head. "I see."

Tossing his clipboard atop a nearby filing cabinet, Professor Stein swiftly closed the gap between him and Soul. The latter noticeably flinched as he suddenly found himself under intense observation, a pair of spectacles scrutinizing him like a test subject through a one-way mirror. Soul's apprehension meant nothing to the professor, who took his arm and pulled it out straight without consent. Maka watched wide-eyed from the side, knowing full well that this was jarring for him. In all honesty, it was for her, too.

Stein's eyes narrowed at the stretch of skin he held in his hands. "Hm, too dark to be albinism."

"...My whole family's like that." Soul explained, annoyance weighing his words. "Well, just the guys, anyway."

"Then it _definitely _isn't albinism," the Professor self-confirmed. "It doesn't target one gender over the other, at least not like this."

Soul blinked. Was that true? His whole life his parents had just chalked it up to their fucked up genes, but then again, now that he thought about it, that explanation did seem to be lacking, somewhat. Both he and his brother Wes had similar features, as did their father. And grandfather. But his mom, grandmother, etc, they all were perfectly normal. There weren't any other girls in his family though, so he didn't really have a whole lot to compare to...Hey, wait a minute…

"...The only women married in," Soul mumbled aloud. It wasn't meant for Stein, but the professor snatched it up greedily.

"...Oh?" he pulled away from Soul, as if taking everything that he needed. The latter raised a brow suspiciously.

Stein departed, another bookcase being his next destination. Soul looked over at Maka, who at this point had rushed in to take the professor's place. She reached for his hand, something she knew would help put his mind at ease. He took it absently, instead focusing all of his attention on Stein as he started to pull book after book from the shelf. The man got under his skin, and it was a feeling that Soul did not appreciate.

Still, it looked like they were going to get some answers. It seemed that way at least, when Stein motioned for the two of them to take seats in front of his desk. Hesitantly, the pair looked at each other before obeying. Maka gave the lightest huff as she took up her spot from before, with Soul taking the one next to her. He smirked ever so slightly at her annoyance, but didn't say anything. They simply waited in silence as Stein flipped through the pages of several different books, none of them looking like the standard college text.

"How long have you two been together?" Stein asked suddenly, not looking up from his books for even a second.

Maka straightened up in her chair. She reached for Soul's hand again. "In a few months, it'll be two years."

Stein nodded. Still he continued his obsessive research. "And you've been living together for how long?"

"Going on about a year, I suppose?" Maka tilted her head to the side. "Is that significant, or…?"

"To my research? No." Stein finally looked up and smirked. "Just curious, is all."

Maka smiled back politely. Soul, on the other hand, couldn't hide his irritation. His fingers curled tightly around Maka's, eyes narrowed at the professor. If Stein noticed, he didn't seem to care. Already he had buried his head in pages, leaving Soul and Maka to look at one another yet again. She caught his annoyed look, and gave him one of her own. He gaped, as if finding her reaction to his insulting. What, was he just supposed to sit there and watch Maka's old fling chat her up without doing anything?

It was terrifying how well she could read his mind. A venomous look marred her pleasant face, poison dripping from her viridian eyes as if to tell him to chill out, or else. Immediately, Soul got the message. He turned his head away from her, the slightest hint of red dusting his face. The display did not go unnoticed by Stein, his smirk still very much there even as he said nothing.

"...Maka tells me you suffer from insomnia and sleep paralysis," the Professor recounted. "Also vivid night terrors."

Soul brought his attention back to the scholar. "...Yeah, since I was a little kid. My older brother had the same thing, but he outgrew it."

"Any cousins?" Stein looked up to find Soul shake his head. "Hm. Judging by the bags under your eyes, I take it you suffered another episode last night?"

"_Every_ night," Soul corrected, earning him another look from the professor. "But, yeah, last night was...particularly bad, I guess."

"Describe it to me," Stein instructed, earning him a concerned look from Maka. The professor noticed, and eased his request. "...If that's alright with you?"

Soul nodded. It wasn't a taxing ordeal for him since, like he said, it came every night. To him it was like recalling the weather or talking about what he had for breakfast that morning. Calmly, he explained what it was like for him. The whispers of something that he couldn't see. Shadows on shadows. His own body failing him and moving on its own. Being unable to breathe. Blink. Care.

Maka was silent next to him. She'd heard it all before, but it never made it any easier. This time being more so, since now there were new things to worry about. Soul recounted the shadow trying to grab him, and him reaching out for it. He couldn't stop himself, and didn't even really want to. He skipped the part about wanting to...well, be done with everything. The entire time, Stein nodded and wrote down little notes in the corner of his book. Once Soul had finished, the professor put the last few words down before closing it completely.

"Do you currently take any medications?" Stein questioned, stroking his chin. He raised a brow when Soul shook his head. "None?"

"Nothing works," Soul replied with a shrug. "They turn me into a zombie, anyway. If I'm going to wake up either way, I'd mine as well be lucid."

Stein leaned back in his chair and pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his coat pocket. Soul raised a brow, not taking the professor for a smoker. Maka meanwhile grimaced, having forgotten that little character feature of his. Stein lit the end of it and took a long, drawn out puff. Ash filled his lungs and suffused the air around him with a heavy exhale.

"Based on everything you've told me, I've come to a conclusion..." the professor revealed, taking another hit of nicotine. "...More than likely, you're cursed."

At first, there was nothing but silence. Then, a snort of laughter erupted from Soul's nostrils. "_Cursed? That's _your big diagnosis, doc?"

"Professor," Stein corrected, smirking. "Though...cursed isn't the right word. More like, something's latched onto your family."

"...Like what, professor?" Maka asked earnestly, earning a scoff from her partner. Her expression was serious.

"Well, there's a few possibilities. But, my main hypothesis right now is that somebody in Soul's family got on the wrong side of a witch."

Again, Soul scoffed. He started rising to his feet, ready to make his way towards the door and drag Maka along with him. The hell was he supposed to do with _that? _A witch? Soul knew this guy was into some weird shit, but he figured being well educated meant that he could at least help diagnose him with an _actual _disease. Soul didn't need incense and essential oils, he needed pills and therapy. Those were the only things that could scrub his head of all the fucked up things he'd seen over the years. Demons weren't real, except for the ones in your head. And he had a lot of them.

Exasperation quickly turned to anger. A growl rumbled in the back of his throat as he started to walk away, leaving Maka there to spin around between him and Stein in order to do damage control. Was the professor's diagnosis outlandish? Sure, Maka wasn't an idiot. Even to her it was tough to chew on. But both she and Soul were desperate, and if Stein could explain things a little better than she'd at least be willing to listen. All of these things distilled into a pleading look she gave her old colleague. Taking another drawl of smoke, Stein nodded in silent agreement to help her. He buried his cigarette into a nearby ash tray and rose to his feet.

"Your brother never _outgrew _his insomnia, Soul," the professor called out from across the room. "He just passed it on to you."

Soul stopped walking. A fist curled at his side as he turned his head to peer at Stein from the corner of his eye. "...What?"

"If you go back and ask your father, I'm sure the same thing happened to him when your brother was born."

"As far as I know, it's just something that runs in my family," Soul growled. "Everyone outgrows it."

"You didn't," Stein pointed out. "It only affects the youngest son. At least until another is born."

Maka's attention darted back and forth between the two men, before finally resting on Soul. His posture eased somewhat, but still he was tense with trepidation. His fist relaxed as a deep breath filled in and slowly replaced rage. The man turned around, eyes burned and fixated on Stein's own. Everything about this was completely bullshit but...he was willing to hear all of it before saying that outloud.

"Your family doesn't produce girls, only boys." Stein further pointed out. "All with the same pale hair and bloody eyes."

"...So? Lots of families have all girls or boys. It's just luck," Soul parried, not at all impressed.

"Perhaps," Stein admitted. "But can you tell me of _any _instance in your family where there was a girl born, or boy without white hair?"

Soul stopped to think for a moment, sure that he could come up with something. But as the seconds ticked by and both Stein and Maka waited patiently, the man found it increasingly difficult to do so. He tried to think back as far as he could remember; His grandfather had a brother, but he never had kids. Wes, his own brother, never married, and their father was an only child. That just left him at the bottom of their thin family tree, right where Stein said he would be. Admittedly, it didn't help Soul's case, but that also didn't mean the professor was right, either.

It didn't make Soul feel feel any better, though. "Okay, say I believe you. What would a witch want with my family?"

Stein shrugged. "Impossible to say right now. Revenge? A lover spurned? Boredom? I'd have to do more research into the matter."

"And, what? I'm sure you want payment?" Soul's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. Maka groaned at her partner's typical male response.

The professor shook his head and motioned to the books behind him. "Not at all. This is a hobby for me. Likewise, I'd consider it a favor to you and Maka."

Soul bit his tongue. He wasn't expecting that response. Eye twitching ever so slightly, he gave a heavy sigh and lifted up his arms to admit defeat. He didn't have anything to lose, specifically his wallet, so why fight it? Immediately Maka hopped up to her feet, smiling as he finally relented. She went straight to thanking Professor Stein, as Soul simply waited and grumbled to himself at the door.

Maybe he should have been thanking him, too. The guy was a nut, but, at least he genuinely seemed to care. Soul figured he would just tell Maka to relay the information later. She probably would do it whether he actually told her to or not, covering his butt and keeping him from making a total ass out of himself. She was good to him that way. Kept him from digging himself into a hole.

"I'll notify you when I find anything," Stein explained loudly, as if to reach Soul, too. "In the meantime, try to get some sleep."

Soul rolled his eyes, but said nothing. He felt the sudden hand of his significant other, her warm fingers curling around his arm as if to pull him out the door. Soul was at her command as they started to leave, though the couple spared Professor Stein one last look and a wave before leaving. He returned the gesture, reaching for the recently extinguished cigarette in his tray.

The door closed behind them, as he fished for his lighter once more.

* * *

There came a cackle from beyond the door.

He always kept it closed. Locked. To protect them at night from robbers, intruders, monsters. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he watched it intently.

The handle shook. Did it? No, it was just the light. He was sure of it. Soul stared at it the whole time, captive. Nothing was there, except the cackling. It continued; steady, high pitched, and whiny. But it wasn't there, either. Maka would have woken up. Why hadn't she woken up already? How long had he been there? Mere seconds. Hours. It didn't matter anymore, he couldn't even remember. All he wanted was to blink. Lay down. Sleep. But that wouldn't happen.

A new spot, at the end of the bed. That's where he sat. Waiting, listening, watching. The handle jiggled in front of him. Another cackle. Something called to him. His jaw creaked to answer it, but no sound made it out. A chill fell over him. Ice flowed into his veins. Whatever it was came closer, tried to. It needed to open the door. Part of him wanted to be the one to do it. Swing it open, face whatever was there head on. But there wasn't anything there, it was all in his head.

The handle turned. But it didn't. But it _did._

Frozen. Frigid. Restrained, he witnessed. The door creaked. He must not have locked it properly. It slowly swung open, revealing...nothing.

His heart stopped. The only thing facing him was empty shadow. Darkness. Emptiness. The wind must have pushed the door open. He couldn't get up to inspect it further. Soul was forced to just stare into the void and imagine what could be just beyond it. Somehow that was worse than just knowing. He wanted there to be something to fear, a face to place his anxiety with, something to blame it on. He was nuts.

Then out out from the shadows there appeared a figure. A form, the likeness of a person. But the proportions weren't right. Feet extended past the threshold, long and lanky. So thin they couldn't possibly support the weight of a person, but the body that followed looked like that of a woman. Also thin, cloaked in black, a specter. A ghost. A...witch?

His wish had been granted. He again wished that it hadn't.

The contorted woman opened her mouth. It split open wide, much larger than any human would be capable of; her jaw seemed to nearly double back on itself, revealing nothing but darkness where her insides should have been. A steady creaking sound came from her throat as the door closed behind her. It sounded like a broken radio as it looked for a frequency, a noise that was all at once eerie and annoying.

They were trapped together. Where was Maka during all of this? How was she not waking up? The creaking started to get louder, and the woman came closer. Every step, every inch, the noise got more intense. Unguarded, unprotected, he stared into the abyss of her mouth. It stared back.

She came to him and crouched. The noise was so loud now it blasted him directly in the face. He swore he could feel the breath on his skin, but she wasn't real. The noise was, though. It became a scream, so deafening that he kept asking himself where Maka was. Why couldn't she hear it? He couldn't think. The woman, the witch, the monster, got so close that she was practically straddling him.

He just wanted to blink. At least close his eyes. Not be forced to look into the mouth of a hallucination. Sight, sound, smell, it assaulted him. This was all a nightmare, but the nightmare was real. It continued to scream. It never stopped to take a breath. In his head, he thought it would stop eventually. He'd be spared at some point. Maka would wake him up, or the nightmare would go away on its own. Eventually. Maybe.

From that moment on, until the sun started to peak out past his curtains and cast its light on Soul's deadened face, the witch would continue to scream. And when she finally did disappear, it left only once Maka began to stir awake. In a puff of darkness it vanished, leaving Soul to continue staring out with fried eyes and brain.

The first time in a long time he could remember not getting even a little bit of sleep.

* * *

"I told you, mom. It's for one of those genealogy websites," Soul drawled on the phone, turning away to escape Maka's snickering.

She shooed him out of the kitchen, forcing the man to wander around their apartment aimlessly while shaking his mother down for information about his family tree. While he was busy with that, it was Maka's job to get dinner ready. They normally switched off kitchen duty and it was technically Soul's turn to cook, but she figured it was one less thing he needed to worry about right now. Besides, she wanted to surprise him.

He stuck his nose in once or twice, and she knew it was because he could smell the pasta. After a certain point she had to force him out, both because there wasn't a whole lot of room in there and he needed to focus. Well, _she _needed to focus. Really, all he wanted was to nibble on bread and annoy her while she cooked. Thankfully, though, Mrs. Evans seemed especially hard of hearing that day. He grumbled at having to repeat himself at every question. Maka couldn't help but giggle.

"Hm?" Soul replied to his mother while at the same time trying to dodge a wooden spoon to the head. "Yeah, she's fine. Kinda moody right now, but…"

A hiss escaped him as Maka's projectile found its mark. She puffed up her chest in dominance as Soul slunk away with a scowl, soundly defeated and limping. With a huff and a smile, she returned to her cooking duties. Soul, meanwhile had to explain to his mother what all the ruckus was about.

"Tell your mom I said hi!" Maka called out, as if to rub it in that she'd won.

"-What? No, mom, I _guarantee _you that's not why!" the man groaned at something his mother said. "_Because, _mom. It just isn't!"

Maka's ears perked at the exchange, but Soul had already long since slunk away to somewhere else in the apartment. It was all the same to Maka, who finally had the peace and quiet needed to get stuff done. It took some time, but after everything had been set up, including the table, she had a nice little dinner ready for the two of them; Actual plates (not plastic), cups (also not plastic), and silverware (definitely didn't _look _plastic). A little basket in the middle for some bread she'd thrown in the oven, a bowl of salad with tongs, and spaghetti.

It wasn't the fanciest thing in the world, but she figured he'd like it all the same. Plus, the old bottle of red wine that had been in their pantry since last year's anniversary rounded things out nicely. If dinner was a total loss, she mused, they could at least get tipsy. Going back into the kitchen to grab them both water, Maka made it back just in time to find Soul walking back into the dining room, sighing as his cell finally fell from his ear tiredly.

"How's your mother?" Maka asked nicely, placing Soul's glass at the seat across from hers.

"Chatty, as always." Soul smirked, though more to do with Maka's setup than his mom. "Special occasion?"

Maka shook her head. "I just figured with everything that's been going on, you'd want to take your mind off things."

"That'd be an understatement," Soul sighed. He pulled out his chair and sat in it, eagerly. His smile never left. "Thanks, babe."

She smiled back and took her seat as well. Motioning to the utensils around the bowls, she silently told him to dig in. Soul did so with gusto, taking a big portion of the pasta and bread. Maka opted for more salad, but took whatever Soul left of the spaghetti. Normally she'd fight him over it, but this dinner was ultimately for him. She could suffer through a few more greens than normal, if only for tonight.

Clangs of their plates and utensils were the only noises between them for the first few minutes. Soul smiled into his plate, the bags under his eyes melting away under the light above the kitchen table. Maka looked up at him, then at the bottle of wine next to them. That would come later, she thought to herself. Soul was the one who was good at opening bottles, and she didn't have the heart to ask him at the moment.

She figured she'd ask something else. "So, what did she say?"

"Not much," Soul shook his head. "Dad's at work, said she'd ask him later about his night terrors."

"Actually, I was talking about what she asked you in the kitchen? When you got all exasperated and left."

The question came right when Soul took a big bite of spaghetti. Immediately, he found himself choking on the thing in surprise. Maka leaned back, caught off guard by the display. He struggled to down the thing, before washing it down with half a glass of water. He took a deep breath and looked back to Maka, who was still confused. Soul's face became red with embarrassment, either because of what his mother had said or the fact that he just practically died at the dinner table.

A little of both, as Maka soon found out. "When I, uh, said you were being moody...she had it in her head that you and I were…"

"...Pregnant?" Maka deadpanned, her face flatter than the floor. Soul immediately reached for the rest of his water and chugged it.

He had to take the heat off him. "Well, I mean, it wasn't just that! She figured I was asking about the family because of, well, baby stuff…!"

"...She honestly thought that?" Maka's mood soured as quickly as her appetite. Her eyes narrowed at Soul. "Not until you put a ring on this finger, Evans."

_And_, there it was. Soul leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a brief second, before daring to look back at his girlfriend. If looks could kill, he'd be six feet under. It wasn't even so much that she was pissed off at _him, _but more like the entire situation. He couldn't place her anger because he doubted she could herself, but that didn't mean jack shit to him at the moment. All he could do was address the situation head on and try to salvage the night. But first, he needed alcohol. Soul reached for the bottle of wine and saw there was no key to open it with. Finding his excuse to leave for a second, he went into the kitchen to find one.

The entire time, he could feel Maka's negativity. It made him shudder, and reminded him of those stupid night terrors of his. In particular, the one last night. He hadn't told her about it and had no intention of doing so; partly because he didn't want to relieve all that again, and the other reason being he didn't have the heart to tell her she failed to wake him up. All night that _thing _had kept him up. Not a wink of sleep, though he was used to it. The bags under his eyes were a testament to that, but he knew that she would take it personally. Like she'd failed him, or something.

With a tired sigh he picked up the little silver bottle opener from the junk drawer. He came back and went to work, avoiding Maka's stare the whole time. He popped the bottle open quickly, and made sure to pour his girlfriend a glass first. Even being pissed off, she waited for him to pour himself one before taking hers up.

Returning to his seat, Soul sighed again. He looked into his glass and found a murky reflection of himself staring back from the pool of red. Soul didn't necessarily like what he saw; heavy eyes, drooping mop of hair, clammy skin. Honestly, he didn't know why Maka fell for him in the first place. Without sleep he looked like shit, and he never had any sleep. All the more reason why he swirled his reflection away and instead looked to his better half.

"For what it's worth, I want to," he mumbled, again looking back down at the glass. "The ring, I mean. Or...both, I guess."

Still staring into deep red, he continued, "But I also don't want you to see me as this burden that you're required to take care for the rest of your life."

That was about as clear and open as he could muster. Again without looking at Maka, he threw his head back and let the year-old wine slide down the back of his throat. He shuddered at the cool burn, placing the empty glass next to his half-eaten food. Maybe at least now he could feel her glare less and actually eat his dinner. Finally he gathered the courage to look back at her, but quickly found she'd already gotten up from her seat.

Next thing he knew, there was a pair of arms around him. Soul felt a familiar sensation of hot breath on his ear. "You dumbass."

He jerked his head around to say something, but Maka's lips silenced him before he could. It was not an unwelcome or unpleasant feeling, being that this was the first time all day he'd felt her kiss. Still, it caught him off guard, and he stared, wide-eyed for a moment, before melting into her. He was kind of stuck there on the chair with how she grabbed him, forced to sit there with his arms by his side as the feeling of her tongue teased his ever so slightly.

He was just getting into it when she broke away. "...You honestly think I wouldn't take care of you?"

Soul knew she'd say something like that. "No, I know you would. You just, shouldn't have to, I guess."

"Well, that's a pretty dumb reason," Maka smirked, raising a brow. "We're supposed to be there for each other."

Again, he knew she'd say that. This growing guilt of codependency however, was not something that he was at all comfortable with. Even as Maka continued to smile and nuzzle him with her nose, he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. This ball and chain of sleeplessness, self-doubt, and whatever else he could think of, pulled him away from her. Maybe he made it too obvious, though it's not like he tried hiding it. Regardless, Maka gave him another kiss, this time on the forehead.

"Where's that cool guy attitude, hm?" she teased him with a grin, which earned her a slight smile out of him.

"Joke's on you, it's just an act," Soul muttered, though the smirk never left his face. "I'm always scared."

Maka eased her squeeze on him, allowing the man to move his arms. "You seem pretty brave to me."

Finally able to move, Soul took the opportunity. He gave the woman an amused look before pushing up from the chair, which sent her backwards. Before she could trip over herself though, he'd already wrapped an arm around her and caught her mid-tumble. She yelped in surprise, earning a familiar snicker from her boyfriend. He leered over her, his signature, toothy grin marring what was otherwise a pleasant face. Maka puffed her cheeks in annoyance, even though deep down she was loving this.

Soul threw a glance to the food on the table, then the wine bottle, and then finally back to Maka. From her perspective, she could see the wheels in his head start turning. Admittedly, she already knew where his mind was going, but she waited patiently for him to announce their plans out loud. All the while, Maka stood there, half-bent backwards, held securely in his arm. The position was toe-curling, but also starting to hurt her back just a little.

As if sensing this, he brought her in closer. Their noses brushed past each other. "I say we grab the bottle and-?"

"-Take it to the bedroom?" she finished for him quickly, as if planning on that since the beginning.

Soul's grin grew wider. Maka practically purred. They gave each other one last longing look before before breaking away to set their plan into motion. Soul grabbed the bottle, Maka, the glasses. She led the way, and he followed suit right after her. Food left to sit on the table, they couldn't have cared less as the door closed behind them. They'd clean it in the morning. Maybe.

Until then they'd enjoy their wine and the rest of the evening.

Their only concern at the moment was just how long they could make it last.

* * *

Two empty wine glasses and a dried out bottle sat neatly on the nightstand. Next to it, Maka lay in a deep slumber, spent and exhausted. Clothes, both hers and his, were scattered across the room. None covered either of them however, both completely bare and exposed to the chilling night air as the ceiling fan whirred above them. The sheets and covers had long since been tossed to the floor, leaving them open, vulnerable. But, none more so than Soul.

He found himself at the foot of the bed. Sitting there. Staring at the wall.

Unable to look away, he was trapped. There was nothing there this time. Instead, it came in the form of a small figure standing by his side. Its feet sank into the mattress near Maka's feet, a tiny thing less than half Soul's size. It mocked him with a cheshire grin mere inches from his face. He couldn't turn to look at it. He didn't want to. It scared him. Red skin. Brimstone, fire. A demon.

It snickered. Cold, dead breath wafted into Soul's lungs. All it did was laugh and continue to grin. He wanted to tear away from it, jump up and turn on the lights so he could see it. Fight it. Hide from it. Succumb to it….

"_Nice moves, loverboy. I'm sure Maka enjoyed all that!"_

It hopped off the bed. Suddenly, it was bigger. Taller. The demon moved so that he could see it. He didn't want to see it. Soul tried to close his eyes, but couldn't. The demon walked in front of him, showing off how much it'd grown. Crooked horns, a giant head, long arms, razor teeth, bloodlust. It stuck its face into his, centimeters away. Soul tried to pull away. The demon moved closer. Their skin touched. Eyes locked. Pale, empty irises burned into Soul.

"_Are you scared right now? Be honest!"_

His eyes watered. He couldn't blink. All he could see was evil from every corner of his vision. He couldn't run away or ask for help. He was captive to the demon's squealing cackle. For the moment, it wanted him to suffer. It pulled away, taking with it Soul's hand. He stared, paralyzed, as the demon lifted it to its giant mouth. Soul's fingers spread apart of their own accord. They belonged to the demon now. He was a witness to his own body's treachery.

"_You should be. Here's why..."_

The demon opened its maw. A lone finger teased its teeth. Fangs shuttered. Tears.

Blood poured from Soul's hand as flesh was severed. He could no longer feel his finger there, only the searing pain of it being taken from hm. The demon snickered at his silent agony. Another finger was placed in between its teeth, and another racking pain washed over Soul as it was taken from him. He pleaded in silence; stop. please, just stop. He couldn't see anything anymore, not through all the tears that stung his eyes. All he could hear was the demon snickering.

Blood flowed like a river. Onto the floor, down his arm. It smeared his bare lap, to the point where he became slick with it. Soul didn't care. He just wanted it all to stop. Once the second finger was taken from him, a third one immediately followed. Cackling. Crunching. Blood dripping.

Another finger. Mad laughter. More tears. Pain. Torture.

There wasn't anything left besides one lonely finger. That was all Soul amounted to now. He wanted to tremble. Break down. Beg the demon to let him go. He'd promise anything. Just please, make it stop.

"_...And this little piggy went all the way to the slaughter!"_

Soul felt the demon sink his fangs into him with sick pleasure. It wanted this to last. Soul screamed from inside himself to end it all, but it would be of no use. He could do nothing but accept the eventual numbness as his last finger was stolen away from him. His hand was now merely a stump, empty sockets where his fingers once were mocked him as the demon started to laugh. Red tinged saliva dripped from the creature's mouth as bits and pieces of flesh and bone stuck out from between his teeth.

At that moment, Soul had given up, He just stared at the torrent of blood that ran from his hand like a faucet and accepted what would happen; he'd shrivel up and pass out like the empty husk he truly was. It'd all be over soon. He didn't have to fight it anymore. These nightmares, these creatures, the lack of sleep, the torture, it was about to all go away for good-

"-Shit!" a voice hissed. The bed shifted. A scramble.

A familiar embrace coiled around him, but he couldn't completely feel it. He was numb again, the pain in his hand gone, but still there. He couldn't see either. There was no strength left in him to stop the tears streaming down his face, nor did he have any wits about him to think about doing so. Soul was stuck there, motionless. No longer paralyzed, but frozen. Scarred.

"Soul?" Maka shook him. "Babe? Are you okay?"

He didn't respond. Part of him didn't want to. He wanted to disappear into a hole and never come out. Make a home out of the covers on the floor, where he could wither away in peace and not have to deal with any of this anymore.

For years he'd been dealing with shadows. Nightmares. Creatures. But this? This time was different. He felt different. He wasn't scared anymore. He was _terrified. _Everything that had just happened, it was real. His hand was gone...but it wasn't. Soul reached for it with his other and found that everything still there; All the fingers were where they should be, not a bite mark on any of them. He had _felt _it though. The blood on his arm, that was supposed to be real too. Soul didn't even bother to check however, knowing he was wrong again. His mind and body had already failed him. Now, his sanity, too.

In the end it was all just a dream. No...a goddamn nightmare.

Tears continued to flow. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop them. This wasn't a sad sobbing, but rather it felt like his body was catching up on all the feelings that the demon had denied him. Soul felt the bed shift again. A moment later and there was a sheet over him, followed by another, tight embrace. He felt soft skin against his cheek. Long hair dangled over his face.

"Shh, I've got you..." Maka hummed into him. He didn't respond. "...It's okay. I'm here now."

It wasn't okay, though. He wasn't. Whatever this was, he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't handle fighting himself like this, even if Maka was there to snap him out of it. How many more nights could he accept being tortured? Why would he even want to try and soldier through that? There was only so much he could take, and for once, Soul had hit his limit. Deep down, he knew it was over.

He muttered them. The words that made Maka's heart sink. "If it's going to be like this the rest of my life, then just let me fucking die."

* * *

"_...Yes, I can definitely see why you're alarmed," _Stein muttered over the phone. _"I'm sure it was terrifying for him."_

Maka stared out the window, biting her lip. "I don't know what else to do, Stein. He said he'd rather be dead."

There was silence. It lasted only a second, but for Maka that was too long. _"And where is he right now?"_

"Here, sleeping on the couch." Maka looked to her left. Soul lay there, facing the opposite way.

It was still early morning. His episode had only been a few hours before. Maka had finally calmed him down and dragged him to the couch, where she'd hoped he'd at least feel safe enough to rest his head. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the exhaustion to set in and force him to pass out. She threw a blanket over him and dared not fall asleep herself. She was going to watch him, though here he seemed at peace. For some reason, the couch was comforting to him.

"_...Has he woken up at all since moving to the couch?" _the professor asked, his curiosity piqued.

"No. He's out like a light," Maka relayed, thankful to be able to say that. He desperately needed to sleep.

"_And how long has he been there? Roughly." _Maka could tell that Stein was digging for something, anything.

"Three, maybe four hours?" She thought about it. "But he hasn't moved in his sleep or anything like that. He's been still."

"_...Hm, that's unusual for someone who suffers from sleep paralysis. Generally, he would've had some kind of episode by now."_

Maka eyed Soul from her chair; He seemed almost normal, no hint on his face of the drama that unfolded just hours before. To be honest, this was the first time since they'd started dating that he slept soundly. Back when they had separate apartments and they'd...rendezvous, he'd almost always come over to her, never the other way around. Things were simpler then. He didn't have these night terrors, or at the very least, not like the kind he'd been experiencing lately. Their nights together were pleasant. He'd warned her about his condition, but she never saw how badly it could get until moving in together. At that point in time though, he was stuck with her. She wouldn't leave him over something stupid like that.

"...Do you think it's the bed?" Maka reasoned aloud. "Or the bedroom, maybe?"

She hoped that was it, but she could practically hear Stein shake his head. _"No, I doubt it."_

"Well, then, I'm out of ideas!" the woman huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you have any?"

"_...I believe it has more to do with __**you**__," _Stein replied, connecting the dots. "_Or, more specifically, when someone else is present."_

"...What, so, me being here is enough to keep him out of it?" Maka questioned, bringing her head up. That made sense, somewhat.

The professor started to speak, but was cut off by Maka's own phone as it started to ring. She pulled the thing back to look at it, the words _Mrs. Evans _plastered in bold white letters across the screen. Immediately, she growled in annoyance; Today was a roller-coaster already, and it wasn't even 9 o'clock, yet. She explained to Stein that she had to call him back real quick, not noticing as the latter tried to keep her from hanging up. Before the protests could reach her, she put him on call waiting and switched over to speak with Soul's mom.

"Hi, Mrs. Evans!" she mustered up her best polite voice, despite it being too damn early to talk to anyone on the phone.

Soul's mom was...chatty, as he had said it himself yesterday. Maka's face devolved into a grimacing smile as the Evans matriarch first started to ask how she was doing, then began to talk about how her day went after Soul called her yesterday, _then _her discussion with Soul's father after he got home last night, before finally coming full circle to ask how Soul was holding up. The entire time, Maka could probably get in a few words at best before Mrs. Evans took back the conversation once more. Soul always knew how to handle her. Unfortunately, he'd never taught _her _how to do it.

It didn't help that her hearing wasn't what it used to be. The woman's volume was always a few levels above what was appropriate, and Maka found herself glancing uneasily at Soul. She knew he could hear from all the way over there, but she dared not let him wake up because of it. Sighing, Maka got up from the chair and started to make her way towards the kitchen where they'd be out of hearing distance. All this excitement called for coffee, anyway. She wasn't used to staying up like Soul. She needed _something _to keep her going.

The sounds of clanging appliances echoed throughout the kitchen, peppered with quiet _Dammits _from Maka as she struggled to keep quiet, talk to Mrs. Evans, and find the coffee pot all at the same time. Her attention stretched thin, there was no way for Maka to know that on the couch, Soul's eyes opened. Slowly, heavily, they creaked for the first time in hours. Exhaustion pulled him back to the other side, but something in his field of vision kept that from happening. In fact, it awoke him outright.

He lay there frozen, staring at the corner of the walls. Perched there, next to the window, was a figure.

It was turned away from him. Facing the wall, fascinated by it, the thing ignored him for the moment. Soul likewise stared at it, scanning the creature for what it was. It had legs, arms, hands, a head, but it wasn't human. He didn't know what it was, but it wasn't the demon from earlier. This was different. Its skin was ghost white. Its limbs were long and twisted. It hung there on the wall like a spider, superior. It paid him no mind. He was nothing compared to this thing. Except, maybe prey.

"...Thanks for telling me, Mrs. Evans," Maka's voice rang out from somewhere else. "I'll let him know..."

Soul's mind raced. Was this thing real? Could Maka see it? Did he even want her to see it? Internally he screamed at her to get out of the apartment, but of course she didn't hear it. Was it even worth screaming about? He was in it again. He was lucid enough to know that much. The malaise of a typical night terror was no longer present. It was almost like he'd become immune to it, somewhat. Either that, or whatever this thing was wanted him to know it. Witness it. Fear it.

He still had his wits about him, which is why he eventually stilled his racing heart and found a semblance of calm. He was still paralyzed. He was still afraid. But for the moment, he could talk himself through it. The creature hadn't noticed him yet, or hadn't bothered to turn around and face him. He knew that Maka would come back and shake him awake from his half-sleep. This wasn't real. Nothing this thing did would or could hurt him. He was safe.

"...Okay, sorry, Stein." Again he heard Maka's voice. "Soul's mom called and...Hm? What? No, I'm in the kitchen…"

Soul could manage to move just a finger. He tried with all his strength to make some kind of noise that would alert Maka, but all he could muster was a light scratching of the couch cushion. There was no way she could hear something like that all the way from the kitchen, but to Soul's dismay and horror, it was enough for the creature. As if being alerted to his presence for the first time, it began to move. Spindly arms and legs shuddered. An almost audible creak came from it as it moved. Soul's stapled open eyes struggled to shutter and close. He didn't want to see it.

The creature turned. Just it's head. Completely around. It's spine popped as it did, a sickly sound that was all too real. Soul's breath left him at the sight of an inhuman face staring back at him, a grotesque imitation of emotion painted haphazardly on it. It was smiling, but not really. Its face was a mask, though the mask seemed of flesh. A wicked grin like the demon. It was happy, elated, that Soul had done something he shouldn't have. It wanted him to know that. Soul knew all too well.

"...That's ridiculous, I've only been here for a few minutes…"

The clown shuddered. That's what it was; A clown, a caricature of a real human, a wicked, mocking thing. It outstretched its leg, backwards, like something growing out of the wall itself. The other one came next, followed by the rest of it, one appendage at a time. Soul watched as it peeled itself towards him, slowly creeping over him like some kind of giant insect. His heart started to beat faster, but he did his best to remain calm. This was all an illusion. Nothing was really there.

Even as it hovered over him on the couch, Soul talked himself down. Its arms and legs acted as stilts, keeping it high in the air but still uncomfortably too close. Its head especially seemed to stretch out like a giraffe's, snaking and bobbing like it was completely separate from the rest of its body. Despite his best efforts, the sight of the thing made Soul die a little inside. It was horrifying. It knew this. It relished in it. Its snaking neck reached down, bringing the fleshy mask of a face to meet his.

"...Okay, alright! The coffee's done anyway, there's no reason to freak out…"

It opened its mouth. Soul didn't know it had one. A giant, lapping tongue fell out like rolled up meat, plopping onto the man's chest with a wet thud. Internally he squirmed; He felt that, just like he felt

his fingers being eaten before. These hallucinations were too vivid to be simple night terrors. He had to be cursed. The clown wanted to prove that. It whipped its tongue to life and let it slighter along his neck up to his cheek. For all this, Soul could only scratch the couch with that one finger of his, the only thing his body would allow to channel his disgust.

Maka was on her way. She'd come and shake him awake like always. Soul didn't care about being a burden anymore. He just wanted relief. Wanted her to take care of him like she said she would and help forget this ever happened. They were going to the doctor after this and getting help. Therapy, drugs, counseling, the whole nine yards. He told himself he was going to get better. The clown's mouth opened wide, saliva threading from its teeth. It dangled over him.

Soul heard the shuffle of socks against wood floor. His heavy heart lightened at the thought of Maka coming to save him, but just as quickly plummeted to the depths of his stomach when there was a sudden gasp. Then a crash. Still paralyzed, Soul watched the predator clown wrench its attention away for the briefest of seconds; Enough time to look up at something across the room, before just...disappearing. Apparating away, as if never having been there in the first place. It was just an illusion, afterall.

As if the spell over him had been broken, Soul's prison disappeared as soon as the clown did. His lungs greedily sucked in air as he bolted upright, drenched in what felt like sweat. It hung off the side of his face, and at first he was too preoccupied to notice. Quickly though, he noticed it didn't _feel _like sweat. With a shaking hand, Soul felt his cheek. Particularly wet and sticky...this liquid was more like spit. Soul swiveled in his seat, hoping to find Maka standing there. She would set him straight, tell him that he was overreacting. There was nothing there, right? Everything was in his head, _right_?

A shattered mug. Hot coffee on the floor. Maka stood there, dumbstruck. For a moment, Soul simply stared. Eyes wide and mouth agape, the woman slowly raised a finger to her partner and shook. Again, his heart sank.

"Soul...is that...?" She struggled to speak, and immediately Soul knew why. "...Was that the thing you've been seeing this whole time…?"

* * *

The drive over to Stein's house was a quiet one.

Maka sat in the passenger seat. At first she insisted that she drive, but the demand was half-hearted and weary. Soul was wide-awake now, and he instead took the wheel. Neither so much as looked at each other the whole ride over; not necessarily avoiding conversation, but not really knowing what to say, either. Maka just stared out the window, a little drizzle misting against the glass. Soul zoned out looking at the cars in front of him, finding the faces of everything he'd seen appearing in every brake light and stop sign.

The trip was quick. Or maybe it wasn't. Neither Soul nor Maka were paying much attention. Regardless, they arrived at a cozy looking house in an inconspicuous neighborhood on the other side of town. Several children played in puddles along the edges of the street as they pulled up, all of them scattering the moment they got out of the car. Someone halfheartedly screamed that the mad scientist was going to chop them up.

Soul raised a brow and looked at Maka. "Just what does this guy do for a living?"

Maka shook her head and slammed the door behind her. Already she was walking up the driveway. "It's a little late to be worried about that, Soul. Just come on."

Soul watched her walk away for a moment before letting out a tired sigh and taking off after her. The rain had let up, but collected drops fell from several trees and pelted the top of their heads as they reached the door. Maka went in to knock. She got one hit in before the whole thing swung open, revealing Professor Stein there in the same lab coat from before. Again, Soul raised a brow.

"Please, come out of the rain," he motioned, ushering them in as they shook the water off. "Make yourselves at home."

Soul and Maka shuffled inside and stood at the entryway. Scanning the area, they found an interior that was equal parts confusing and comforting. The furniture and furnishings were all pretty basic and charming...except for the obvious stitched pattern that almost everything had. It looked like all the stuff in the house had at one point between torn apart and put back together again, but for the life of Soul and Maka they couldn't figure out specifically _why. _

"There's coffee on the table already, feel free to pour all you want," Stein informed them as the door closed behind him. "Tea would probably be best given the situation, but Marie says I have a tendency to burn the leaves."

"Girlfriend?" Soul inquired, interest peaked. He couldn't imagine a weirdo like Stein having a significant other.

"Wife," the professor replied simply, pointing to a nearby photo on the wall. Soul's jaw practically dropped. "She's out of town at the moment, otherwise she would've made you breakfast, too. Again, I'm no good in the kitchen."

Stein walked ahead of them to go grab something from the kitchen, while Soul studied the photo. It was a picture of just Marie; a pretty lady with blonde hair lighter than Maka's and a smile just as bright, her black and yellow dress going all the way down to her ankles. She wore an eyepatch on her right side, which was the only thing slightly off about her. Still, she was beautiful, and Soul couldn't fathom how her and Stein met. He looked to Maka to see if she knew, but immediately reconsidered.

She hadn't moved an inch since walking through the door. She just stared at the floor, spaced out. The distant look on her face made Soul remember the gravity of the situation they were in, and any comment or question he could come up with at the moment would just be in bad taste. He'd been dealing with these...things for a while now. Granted, they'd been getting worse, but he was used to it. This was the first time Maka had seen it, whatever it is, and in _real life _no less. She was scared. Hell, he was scared, too.

He reached for her hand and snaked his fingers in between hers. She clutched them tightly without even looking, and let out a tired sigh of her own. After a moment to collect herself, Maka looked up at him and gave a weary smile. He gave one of his own before leaning in to kiss the side of her head. They stood there alone for a few more seconds, until it was time to go and talk with Stein and fill him in on all the details. They'd just given him the shorthand version over the phone. He needed to know the full story.

They shuffled into the dining room and took their seats next to each other. Stein appeared a half-second later, carrying with him some pen and paper. He pulled up his chair and sat across from Soul and Maka. A cup of already-poured coffee steamed next to his elbow, but he didn't drink from it. Soul could already tell he was in his own little world again as he flipped through the notes, more than likely all the things he'd been researching the past few days. He hoped there was something useful in there.

"I want you to tell me everything that's happened since we last met," Stein finally spoke, adjusting his glasses in Soul's direction. "Every little detail. I don't care how insignificant it seems."

Soul nodded. He gave Maka a glance before getting on with it. Everything he had encountered and experienced over the past couple days was laid bare on the table; the incident with the screaming woman, the demon, the clown thing, etc. He described how the pain and sensations felt so real, he could've sworn it was actually happening. He also talked about calling his mother to find out more about his family history, though nothing ever came of it. At that point Maka raised her hand to interject, causing Soul to pause.

"Your mom called while you were asleep," she explained. "She said that your dad used to get night terrors, too. They stopped right around when they got married, which is when you were born. Also...you were right about the no-girls thing."

Stein wrote everything down as Soul nodded; neither were surprised by the revelation, though that wasn't to say it made their situation any better. The part about Maka seeing the monster Stein already knew, but he asked them to describe it again, anyway. Maka hesitated, but being that it had just happened, she didn't have any trouble recalling what it looked like. She also made it very clear that the thing was real, though at this point she was sure Stein wouldn't discount her on that.

Some more scribbles. A pause. Finally, the professor dropped his pen and paper and reached for a mug of coffee. "I was hoping I was wrong, but your experiences convince me otherwise."

"A witch?" Maka replied automatically. The mention of it caused Soul to flinch; the idea still bugged him, but after all they'd been through he was at no liberty to mock it.

Stein nodded as he hid his face behind rising steam. "I've been looking into it since our last meeting. I'm fairly certain I've identified the main culprit."

Taking a sip from the piping hot cup, Stein spun his notepad around to face Soul and Maka. They both leaned in as he flipped through the pages, eventually landing on a picture at the very end that had been taped to the paper. It was a wicked looking thing; the silhouette of what looked like a woman, her shadowy form seeming to mock them with a cackling mouth and forked tongue. Immediately Soul flinched at the sight of it. Even as he tried to block out the memory from his head, there was no mistaking that this figure was the same one from the night before. The screaming woman.

"Medusa," Stein revealed. "One of the gorgon sisters, a coven of witches that disappeared long ago, or so I've read. They were notorious for tormenting unsuspecting townsfolk and experimenting on them. Medusa in particular was known to prey on men and collect them for various reasons."

Soul continued to stare down at the picture in front of him, the image resonating through his very core. "...And you think she's the one who's behind all of this? But why?"

Stein shook his head. "The specific reason still escapes me, but I can say with utmost confidence that it's her. She has a particular calling card; a madness that envelops her victims until there's nothing left but an empty husk. Your family's night terrors seem to be a symptom of this."

"Night terrors are one thing Stein, but what about that _thing?_" Maka replied wearily, still thinking about how such a creature could actually be real. The professor sipped his coffee again.

"The things that torment Soul are very much real to him, but only while he sleeps. When he wakes up they disappear, though it seems their frequency and intensity are growing for some reason. I assume it's gotten to the point where even you can start to see it as well."

"Is there anything we can do about it?" Soul asked. "I mean, assuming everything that you're saying is correct, and all."

Stein reached over and flipped the next page. There were some things written down, but all in chicken scratch. Luckily, he elaborated. "I believe so long as someone is there to monitor your sleep, these encounters will cease. I'm not entirely sure why, but I believe it has to do with Medusa's madness. The more isolated you are from people, the stronger it becomes. Someone actively watching you seems to negate that."

Maka's demeanor perked. The idea of a workaround to Soul's problem lifted her spirits, but when she turned to him expecting to see some kind of relief in his face all she could find was disappointment. Confused, she reached for his hand and tilted her head. Why did he look so glum? They finally had something that would let him sleep for the first time in, well, ever. All she had to do was stay up while he slept, right…?

"...So, what, Maka and I are just supposed to sleep in shifts for the rest of our lives?" he protested. "And what about if we ever want kids? You said this thing gets passed on to the next son. Are we supposed to just deal with that, too?"

As quickly as the relief had set in, so too did it fall. Maka slunk in her chair; she...hadn't really thought about the future all that much, what with everything that was going on. She was honestly surprised Soul would even go there right now, but admittedly the thought was now at the forefront of her mind as well. The sleeping in shift thing didn't really bother her all that much. She could do that indefinitely if need be, but the other thing, well, it concerned her, too.

Professor Stein pulled back his notepad and stared at the page for a minute. His glasses shone underneath the dining room light above them in just a way that neither Soul nor Maka could read his face. He set his coffee down beside him and stroked his chin; clearly Soul's response wasn't one he had anticipated. Maka didn't know if he was caught off guard or simply didn't think of any other options, but now that the subject had been brought up Stein seemed to be considering several options all at once. For a brief moment she recalled why she had come to him for help in the first place; mysteries absolutely fascinated him, and solving them was, for him, deeply satisfying.

"I wasn't proposing this as a long term solution, mind you," Stein finally spoke up. He flipped through his notepad. "But I suppose finding one as quickly as possible should be a priority right now."

Soul squirmed a little. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. I appreciate what you're doing for us, professor."

Stein shook his head. "No, it's fine. I should have been more mindful of your personal lives. In any case, I'm going to need more time figuring out how to proceed further."

"What do you think we should do now, Stein?" Maka asked.

The professor downed what remained of his coffee and pushed his chair back to stand up. Maka and Soul watched him walk away for a moment towards a collection of rooms down the hallway, leaving the two of them to glance at each other and shrug. A minute later and he returned, carrying with him a pile of neatly folded blankets. He plopped them on the couch with a smile.

"Like I mentioned earlier, Marie's out of town. You two are more than welcome to stay here while I sort through all of this."

"Oh! No! We couldn't impose!" Maka stammered, taken aback by the notion. She didn't notice Soul next to her already starting to accept, before promptly shutting his mouth. "I'm sure your wife would wonder why there were strangers in her house?"

"Hm? Oh, no, not really." Stein deadpanned, already scanning the room for pillows. "If anything I would encourage you _not _to stay over while she's here, unless you really like talking for hours at a time. She gets excited when there's company over. Blames me for our lack of friends, though I'd beg to differ..."

Soul snickered as Stein continued to half-grumble to himself. Maka flashed him a glowering look, and again he fell begrudgingly silent. She offered a few more half-hearted protests to Stein, but the man either wasn't listening anymore or simply wouldn't acknowledge them. He went about spreading the sheets over both couches and placed fancy looking throw pillows (clearly picked out by Marie) on either end.

"It will be easier to watch Soul with two of us taking shifts. I don't sleep much, anyway." Stein revealed. "We'll do that for the next couple days while I do some more research, I suggest you two catch up on sleep in the meantime."

Maka looked so Soul. They both gave each other uncertain looks, but seemed to arrive at the same conclusion; this was probably the best course of action right now. As much as it made them uncomfortable just blindly staying at someone's house, there was little else they could do besides take whatever aid Stein was willing to give them. There was nobody else they could turn to, let alone who would believe what was going on with Soul. Maybe that just meant Stein was crazy for even entertaining the idea that a witch had cursed the Evans family, but it was the only lead they had and at this point Soul and Maka would take it.

"...I really want to get some sleep," Soul admitted, looking to his partner. "And I know you do, too."

"Yeah," Maka likewise admitted. She gave a tired sigh. "I guess our hands are kind of tied at the moment."

"I suppose it's a good thing neither of you drank the coffee. Leaves more for me." Stein smiled.

Maka smiled back at their host. She started to get up, but then froze mid-rise. "Uh, Soul?"

"Hm?" he raised a brow. "What is it?"

"Clothes?" she said flatly, annoyed that the thought hadn't crossed either of their minds yet. "Toothbrush? Soap? Deodorant…?"

Soul rolled his eyes. "We'll worry about all that stuff later. I'm not driving back right now."

Maka let out a huff, but admitted that was fair. At this point she really just wanted to pass out. They'd grab their things after catching up on sleep, or maybe they would just come over to Stein's to sleep at night? They hadn't really ironed out all the details yet, but that could probably all wait. Already Soul was getting up to crash on the couch. Stein still stood there in the middle of the room as if waiting for Maka to as well. She found the idea of just immediately going to bed in someone else's house off putting, but the tiredness kept pulling her towards the living room.

She relented and made her way towards the unclaimed couch. Stein, as if satisfied, disappeared back into the hallway for a minute as Soul and Maka fell atop their respective covers. It wasn't cold, and on top of that they were still a little damp from the rain. They used the sheets as a barrier between them and the couch, not wanting to get Stein's furniture all wet. The minute Soul's head hit the pillow his body eased into place; his spine popped as if finally being able to relax for the first time in ages. Maka eased in as well, finding the couch extremely comfortable. She mused Marie had probably picked it out, as well.

Stein eventually returned with a stack of books in his hand and a laptop perched precariously on top. He placed them on a side table next to a reclining chair and sat down, propping his feet up; less to get comfortable and more to create space to spread the multitude of texts around him to view all at once. Computer on his lap, he immediately got to work without so much as another word to either Soul or Maka. It was as if they were in two separate rooms now, and strangely it put everyone at ease. Stein because he didn't need to interact with anyone, and Soul and Maka because they felt secluded.

The taps of Stein's keyboard were the only sounds now, and they were just the meandering white noise needed to help Soul and Maka finally fall asleep. At some point they spared each other glances, though not at the same time. Soul was the first to pass out, but not before peeking at her through lidded eyes. She caught his gaze right as he slipped away, and the sight of him nodding off is what finally gave her the peace of mind to do the same. For once they felt safe in doing so. Maka's last thoughts were focused on the future, and the hope that one day they could get to do this again soon.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Soul could honestly say he had a good night's sleep.

Sleeping in shifts ended up being his saving grace. And though it still bothered him having to rely on others watching him, Soul couldn't deny the results. Stein would usually be the first to go to bed since he had to wake up early anyway, and Maka would take first watch. It started off that way mostly because it was just easier for Soul to fall asleep with Maka watching him as opposed to Stein, and after that they just rolled with it. The first night was peaceful. As was the second, and the third.

Despite their reluctance to do so, Soul and Maka ended up staying the entire time at Stein's house, rather than leave and come back. It was just easier for everyone that way, plus the added company was a morale booster for the weary pair. After the first day, Soul swung by their apartment after work and grabbed all the necessities. Then for the next several days after everyone fell into a routine. All three of them would leave for work in the morning, and then meet back at the professor's in the evening. Soul would usually be the first one back, so he cooked dinner. To him it was a way of giving back to Stein for helping them out so much, meanwhile the professor was just thankful for a meal that didn't come out of a soup can.

Between lunch breaks and time spent at home, Stein worked constantly on trying to find a cure. Or treatment. Or, literally anything that might help them. He was very quiet and studious, and many times both Soul and Maka forgot he was in any given area of the house whenever he had his nose in a book. He seemed to disappear into the texts, completely becoming a part of them and disappearing from the real world altogether. Many times Soul thought to ask him just _what _he did for a living, but the opportunity never presented itself. He supposed it was just one of those things that weren't meant to be known.

On their fourth evening together, things proceeded as usual. Soul arrived first and got to work making curry for dinner. Maka and Stein both came home around the same time, as both worked in an office setting. There was some casual chit-chat, food was served, and all three decompressed around the dining room table. Their air between them was calm, casual, and left no indication that there was anything weird going on just beneath the surface. There was no witch, no demons, no monsters, or anything out of the ordinary. Just three, somewhat normal people having an average dinner together.

Professor Stein swirled the meat and rice on his plate before taking a bite. He took his sweet time devouring a spoonful before casually throwing out there, "Oh, by the way, I think I found something."

Both Maka and Soul froze as steam rose from spicy curry. "...Why are you just now telling us!?"

"I was hungry," Stein replied simply, blowing on another spoonful of chicken. "Also, there isn't much we can do right now. We'll have to wait until Soul falls asleep again."

"So what exactly did you find out then?" Soul anxiously let his silverware fall to the plate. All of a sudden he wasn't that hungry anymore.

The professor took his sweet time answering. Part of Soul wondered if he was cynically toying with him. "It's my understanding Medusa leaves a part of herself in her victims. Kind of like a little insurance policy. Should the curse ever try to be removed, she'd make sure it doesn't happen."

"...So what you're saying is there's no way to get rid of it?" Maka replied, crestfallen. She also had lost her appetite.

"So long as that piece of Medusa remains, yes." The professor took another bite.

Stein reached from underneath the table and plopped down a heavy book. It landed with a thud in front of him, shaking the glassware and plates in the process. It nearly made Soul jump out of his seat, but all it made Maka do was glower in annoyance. Stein was smart and rather straightforward, but manners weren't always his strong suit. Plus it didn't help that sometimes he had a flair for the dramatics. She wondered if that's what all this playing coy was about.

"That book contains instructions on how to lift this curse of yours. I found it the first day you arrived." Stein revealed. "I could have done it at any time, but Medusa's aspect would just interfere so there was no point. I've exhausted every resource I have, and there's nothing anywhere that says how to exorcise the witch."

Soul was quiet for a moment. He didn't look at either Stein or Maka, and instead just stared down at the table in silence. After a moment he finally looked to his girlfriend and found her watching him intently, a look of concern and apprehension plastered across her face. They both had a silent moment, before Soul finally looked over to Stein. "So...is that it? Is there nothing we can do?"

"Hm?" Stein raised a brow, seemingly not at all concerned. "Of course there is."

There was a shift in the room. All of a sudden, from Maka's corner of the table, there came a look that could bore holes into solid steel. The air grew thick with killing intent, and all of it seemed aimed at Stein. The good professor seemed to pick up on this immediately, and just as quickly he cleared his throat and straightened himself out. Time to get to the point.

"It isn't in any of the books, but I believe if I can hypnotize someone into a sleep-like state, they may be able to interact with your dreams the way you do, Soul. That person can then confront Medusa's aspect and hopefully get rid of it that way."

Soul blinked. He followed what Stein was saying, but it almost seemed too incredible to believe. Part of him still didn't. "Okay, say we do that. Who would be willing to get hypnotized like that?"

"Well, Maka, of course." Stein replied matter-of-factly, as if it were the obvious answer. He either didn't see Soul's jaw drop, or quite frankly didn't care. "She's the only one I would trust to get it done, let alone the only person who's aware of everything that's going on."

"Why don't you do it!?" Soul shouted, a little louder than he intended to. The audacity of what Stein was implying got him riled up quick and fierce. "You're seriously going to ask Maka to talk to a witch or whatever?"

"Soul, calm down!" Maka replied tersely, shooting him a look similar to the one she gave Stein moments ago. Her other half gaped at her response, but she would have none of it. "If Stein thinks it's the best course of action then we should do it."

"If I were an option, I'd do it myself," the professor replied understandingly. "But I can't hypnotize myself, and also Maka knows you much better than I do. I believe that will be very important when dealing with these entities."

Soul threw his head around at both Stein and Maka. He couldn't believe either of them at the moment. "Is this going to be dangerous? Can she get hurt?"

The professor leaned forward slightly. For once, he actually seemed pensive. "That...I'm not sure about. I would imagine it would be similar to what you've been experiencing, so no lasting effects if something were to happen. But you also haven't encountered Medusa directly yet, so we don't know what she's fully capable of doing."

"Then no, she's not doing it." Soul stood up from his chair and started to gather his plate. Already he started to turn to walk away towards the kitchen.

"My ass I'm not!" Maka growled, hopping up to her feet as well. She stopped Soul mid-stride with her reply. "What do you think we've been doing here this whole time? Stein has a way to cure you! That's what you wanted, remember?"

Soul hesitated. He spun around and stared Maka directly in her eyes. "Not if it means you get hurt in the process! That's not how I want this to happen!"

"You _idiot!_" Maka leaned forward on the table, nearly tipping it over. Stein grabbed his plate as it started to slide away from him. "You've been hurting this whole time! I've had to watch it happen without being able to do anything, and now that I can finally help you just refuse and walk away!?"

Soul opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately found he had nothing to respond with. Very quickly he found that anger in his chest start to deflate like a balloon under Maka's intense gaze, her own fury making him feel small in comparison. It didn't help him any that she made a good point...he didn't really stop to consider how she was feeling about any of this. Maka was more than just his girlfriend at this point, but he also couldn't fathom just how willing she was to do something like this for him. Everything about the situation was crazy, but at least he had her to help him through it.

Soul didn't quite know what to say. "Maka…"

"Don't _Maka _me," she huffed with much less bite than before. "Just let me do this. Okay?"

Again Soul hesitated. At the end of the day he had no idea what was going to happen, but ultimately he had to put his faith in Maka to get it done regardless. With an apprehensive, quiet nod, Soul relented. Just like that, the tension in the room lifted and Maka managed to smile back at him. He allowed a tiny one to worm its way across his own face, as Stein stared back and forth between the two of them. He was waiting for the right time to interject.

"We'll do it tonight," he finally spoke. His plate empty, the professor started to push his chair back. "I'll make the necessary preparations. I suggest you do the same."

"Such as?" Maka asked as Stein began heading for the kitchen. He stopped for a moment and turned to face his guests.

"Enjoy one another's company until it's time. I expect nothing to happen, but why take chances?"

With that the professor made his exit, leaving Soul and Maka standing there by themselves. They looked at each other and fell silent, not wanting to entertain the idea that things might not go as planned. It was Soul's biggest worry, and to be fair it bothered Maka as well. Still, there was nothing that was going to stop her now. She'd made her choice, and if this was going to finally help Soul sleep then her answer would be a no brainer.

Whatever was going to happen tonight, she was going to come back in one piece.

* * *

As night fell over them and the time to act approached, it became painfully apparent that Soul was not going to fall asleep anytime soon. Neither Stein nor Maka could blame him; his nerves were as twisted as theirs were, and it was impossible for anyone to truly feel safe. Adding on to that was the fact that Soul was used to not sleeping, and it ended up being two awkwardly standing people gathered around a man desperately trying to perform, but couldn't.

Soul growled and threw his head under the covers. Stein thought it over for a moment before switching over to Plan B, although he considered aloud if it was a good idea or not. Maka watched him leave and come back a second later with a dark blue bottle in his hand. He called for Soul to come up and the moment he did, he found an open bottle dangling in front of his face.

"Drink up," the professor smiled. There was no further explanation.

Soul gave a reluctant glance to Maka, who merely shrugged in response. With a sigh, Soul grabbed the bottle and took a swig. He wasn't sure how much he was supposed to take, or even _what the thing was, _but he figured a long drink from the already half-empty bottle would do the trick. He assumed it was supposed to help him fall asleep. In the end, he had no way of knowing just how effective it would be in doing so.

It hit him like a ton of bricks. After about a half hour of putting the cap back on and placing the bottle on the nightstand next to Stein's bed, Soul's eyelids suddenly felt twenty pounds heavier. Up until that point Stein and Maka had been watching him quietly in the hopes he'd fall asleep. It was boring and uneventful, but the sight of Soul suddenly going from completely lucid to conked out in under a minute was enough to make Maka snicker like a schoolgirl.

Now they were ready. Stein instructed Maka to lay down at the foot of the bed, which she did obediently. "Do you know anything about hypnosis, Maka?"

"Not really," she admitted, hands at her side. She sat straight as Stein loomed in front of her. He was a tall man, and seemed even taller now that she was sitting down.

"Most people don't." Stein nodded. He again instructed her, this time to cross her arms in front of her, palms outward. Maka complied. "Would you mind staring at the clock?"

The professor pointed with his thumb to the wall clock behind him, it's hands ticking just above his head. Maka nodded and did so; already this was different from what she was expecting. Honestly she just assumed Stein would pull out a medallion and start swinging the thing back and forth, but she supposed that was just because she'd seen one too many cartoons as a kid.

"Are you looking at the clock?" he asked to confirm, taking a step forward.

"Yup," Maka replied with mild disinterest. She continued doing so for about a minute, before her face turned sour and she eventually got to thinking. "Am I supposed to be doing something, or…?"

Stein's head suddenly blocked her view. He lunged forward, so quick that Maka had no time to even flinch. She felt his hands smack against hers, the force sending her crossed arms colliding into her chest. Maka heard Stein say something, maybe it was "sleep,"but immediately she found herself unable to think clearly. The last thing she could clearly remember was the professor standing over her body as it sprawled out on the bed. Unable to move or even comprehend what was going on, everything went black for a moment. She disappeared into her own head...

_...Lost. Somewhere. But where?..._

_...Seconds passed, and Maka opened her eyes again. She found herself still in the bedroom, but this wasn't the same place she had been in moments before. The light from Stein's desk lamp was filtered and muddled, not nearly as bright as it once was. The walls seemed to shift and move in the darkest corners, seemingly hiding things that weren't really there. Or maybe they were, and she was simply thinking wishfully. Maka rose up from the bed and sat at the edge again, taking in everything around her. At first she was entranced, but then quickly remembered why she was there in the first place._

_The woman spun around. On the bed there, in the same position he had been when she'd last seen him, was Soul. He was sleeping peacefully, uninterrupted. Maka breathed a sigh of relief; whatever was tormenting him hadn't come yet, which made sense since he'd just passed out a minute ago. She scanned the room again just to be sure and then rose to her feet once satisfied. The entire room seemed like a mirror of its former self. Dark, twisted, and filled with nothing that felt comforting. A horrible place to try and sleep in._

_Maka then looked down at her hands. They seemed...fuzzy, out of focus. She pinched herself just to be sure this wasn't all a hallucination, on the off chance she had accidentally partaken in the same bottle Soul had. She winced in pain; no, this was certainly real, or at the very least she wasn't dreaming. Stein's hypnotism must have worked, and now she was in...dream space? Soul's head? She wasn't sure what to make of this world, but it's what they'd wanted, regardless._

_Maka had a job to do, but didn't quite know where to start. She was supposed to confront the witch's aspect, so...how was she going to do that, exactly? To her utter dismay, Stein hadn't really gone over that part with her. Although, admittedly, he probably didn't know the answer, either. He'd said it himself that this wasn't in any book, so they were going in blind on this. Or rather, she was. _

_Maybe she should try to wake up Soul? There was no use in trying to let him sleep with a crazy witch running around, and she could use all the help she could get. Finding that the best course of action, Maka leaned over the bed and gave her partner a shake. He didn't respond at first, and so she shook him harder. After a couple rough seconds, his eyes finally creaked open._

"_Soul, get up!" Maka demanded, still pushing him around. "We've got to find this witch!"_

_Soul stared up at her for a moment in confusion. After his eyes adjusted, he looked her over and gave a sour face. "Would you stop shaking me!?"_

_Maka rolled her eyes and relented. She took a step back and waited for Soul to hop up, but he just remained on the bed. A notable twitch tugged at her brow, "Soul, hurry up!"_

"_...I can't," he revealed, only able to glance at her from the corner of his eye. His head remained frozen. "It's like this every night. I can't ever move. To be honest, I'm surprised I can even talk right now."_

"_Right, sorry," Maka grimaced, realizing her mistake. It only made sense that he was being held captive in his own dreams, just like how he was paralyzed in the real world. "Are you...my Soul? Or are you some sort of dream-Soul?"_

_He chuckled. "There's only one of me, same as you. Our bodies are back in Stein's room, but our minds are here. That's all."_

_Maka raised a brow. "You sound like you know a lot about what's going on all of a sudden?"_

"_You remember a lot when you're asleep," Soul replied simply. Calmly. "When you wake up is when you forget everything."_

"_Except the monsters," Maka added absently as she started to scan the room again. She noted that the walls were starting to squirm in different directions. It was disturbing. _

"_Yeah," Soul replied faintly. There was a pause before he added, "You shouldn't be here, Maka."_

"_If you can remember everything, then you know why that's a dumb thing to say," she shot back, and left the conversation at that. _

_Maka continued to study the room. Something felt off, more so than before, but she couldn't pinpoint why. She continued to stare at the walls; circular patterns began to form and morph in various sizes and directions, all chaotic and ever changing. The shadows casting off of faded lamplight towered at the edges of the room, giving the impression that something or someone was watching her. Maka shifted uneasily in place as she looked back down at Soul. She hesitated before asking the question she partly didn't want the answer to._

"_How do I find the witch?" she asked quietly._

"_She finds you," Soul replied a little too quickly. Maka's stomach sank._

"_...So when she finds me, what am I supposed to do? How do I get rid of her?"_

_Soul was silent. Then, after a pause, he muttered, "I've been trying to figure it out my whole life. The only thing I can come up with is to kill her."_

_A look of dismay swept across Maka's face; she figured that was going to be the case, but no one had said it aloud until this moment. Still, even knowing now didn't make it any easier to process. Could she kill someone to save Soul? Or, she supposed the real question should have been whether or not this witch was even a person to begin with? If it was just like them, psyches stuck in some mirror world, then maybe it wouldn't really be killing for real...maybe it would just be like, well, a dream?_

_Part of Maka felt like she was in over her head, but there was no turning back now. Especially not as she started to notice the walls again for what felt like the hundredth time. This time, however, was different. A wave of uneasiness washed over her once more, and she focused on the patterns as they started to shift again. Sporadic, squirming, until suddenly they weren't anymore. They stopped moving on a dime and stayed there, frozen. _

_She watched. Waited. _

_Then, the walls squirmed again, only now...they started stretching out. Inky black shadows jutted out towards her, like long fingers looking to reach out and grab her. Maka immediately jumped to the center of the room, her eyes darting back and forth between the tendrils and Soul; they completely ignored him, and instead focused entirely on her. She froze in place, not having anywhere to go as even the door started to stretch outwards._

"_Soul!" Maka yelped, trying her damndest to not freak out but finding it increasingly harder to not do so._

_He called back to her, but a noise began to echo in the room and drowned out almost all others. Maka spun around in place, trying to find its source; a hissing, like a hose that had sprung a leak or...more like a snake. Quickly and to her horror, she figured it out. The fact that the tendrils reaching out for her weren't completely straight, but rather slithered in the air was the big giveaway. That, and the tiny flickering tongues that darted from their edges. She thought at first it was just the light playing tricks on her. _

_The whole room was turning into a snake pit, and she was caught right in the middle._

_Maka had nowhere to go or run. The only way out was closed, and she couldn't leave Soul all by himself. She could try to duck under the snakes, but in the end it was pointless; they curved in every direction, and no matter where she went they could easily strike at her. At a certain point, all Maka could do was stay there perfectly still and pray they stop. She could feel the air flicker as false tongues lapped mere inches from her face. They closed in on her from all sides, so close she could practically feel them on her skin._

_Maka closed her eyes and waited. For what felt like an hour she stood there, half-expecting to feel hundreds of little sharp teeth sink into her. In the end, thankfully, it never did come to that. After what was really only a minute, she peeked out to find the snakes had halted their advance. They stayed perfectly still, almost frozen in the exact same place as when she'd closed her eyes. They didn't even so much as flick their tongues._

_Then, without warning, all the snakes in the room fell to the floor with a resounding thud. Maka practically jumped out of her skin at the sound and display; a hundred shadowy reptiles dropping to the ground like apples from a tree. They wormed their way around the floor and writhed without reason, but for the most part seemed completely harmless. She scowled in pure revulsion as some tried to slither up her leg. She pulled back and kicked one clear across the room towards the door. The lowly thing hit the knob with a thud and slid down to the floor, disappearing in a puff of shadowstuff as it went._

"_Ugh! Stupid snakes!" she grunted, not in any sort of mood to be toyed with. "Disgusting!"_

"_Are you alright? Did they hurt you at all?" Soul called out to her, still unable to see anything clearly._

"_No, I'm fine." Maka huffed. "What about you?"  
_

_Soul confirmed he was fine as well and breathed a sigh of relief. Maka meanwhile continued to stare at where the snake had landed, the door somehow having been opened from the force of the hit. It stood cracked open, a dull, pale light emanating out from behind it. She raised a brow; the door shouldn't have opened from something like that. Then again physics seemed to only work sparingly in this dream world of theirs, so maybe it very well could have. Maka wondered more so about the light, though. Had it been there before?_

"_...Maka," Soul called out to her suddenly. _

"_What?" She couldn't break away from her trance._

"_Close the door," he instructed. His voice was hushed and anxious. "Now."_

_Maka blinked. She could have sworn the doorknob just jiggled. "Why? What's out there?"_

"_Just do it!" Soul still tried to whisper, but he couldn't keep from getting louder. "Before she comes in!"_

_Maka broke her stare to glance at Soul. Almost immediately, a sound started to ring out from behind the door. It captured Maka's attention once more, and she stood with stilled breath as she tried to figure out what that noise was. From his corner of the room, Soul started to curse under his breath and plea for Maka to hurry up and close the door, but it all fell on deaf ears. She couldn't bring herself to do it. _

_Part of her was paralyzed by the sound, which she recognized as a sort of creaking, as it started to get louder and louder. The doorknob started to jiggle again; Maka was sure of it this time. The door started to open and close ever so slightly, like an animal breathing. The creaking became more intrusive, assaulting the walls of her mind like a wasp buzzing next to her ear. Maka wouldn't stop it though, because she knew what this was. It was the whole point of her being there._

_The door opened wider. Soul kept calling out for her to shut it, but his pleas were drowned out in a sea of noise. The creaking became clear as a form slowly started to emerge from beyond the doorway, Maka stood ready; completely unsure of what to do, but knowing to be prepared for anything. Absently she reached for a book on a nearby nightstand. She held it close to her chest as light flooded the room, the door now fully opened._

_Maka gazed at the source of the creaking. A figure, lanky and hunched, stood at the threshold. She held her breath as it grinned at her, mouth open as it continued its haunting call. Long, bony feet scratched the floor with unkempt nails. Blonde hair, dirty and ragged, fell messily from her scalp in a long, entwined ponytail. Tattoos of serpents littered her arms, and they seemed to churna and writhe just like the ones lapping the air around her with their tongues. _

_The creature, the witch, continued to grin at her; eyes wild, like a predator to newfound prey._

_This was nothing like Maka had imagined. She stood frozen under the gaze of a woman more monster than human, and clutched the book tighter against her. Soul was absolutely silent, breathed bated as the witch's creaking slowly started to soften. It was still there, but not as deafening as before. It wasn't like the last time when it became so loud he'd gone insane. He couldn't see what was going on, but he knew that whatever was about to happen wouldn't be good. His heart pounded as both he and Maka waited._

_Dull creaking. That's all there was. Then, after ear splitting silence between the two of them, the witch finally spoke to Maka. "I heard you don't like snakes?"_

_Maka was taken aback by the witch's voice. It was more...pleasant than she was expecting. Softer. "You can take your snakes and get the fuck out of my boyfriend's dreams!"_

"_Oh my," Medusa chuckled. A few of the snakes hissed as if laughing with her. Maka's eye twitched in annoyance. "So intimidating with a book in your hand. So full of confidence!"_

"_That's right...I'm confident that if you come any closer to Soul and I, you're going to get this thing lodged in your skull!" Maka replied, as the courage started to fill up her chest. _

_The witch tilted her head. More hisses surrounded her as she took a couple steps forward. Maka immediately cocked the book back high behind her, ready to use it. Medusa halted her advance with an ostentatious grin, likely testing to see how far she could push Maka. Or, rather, how close she could get without getting a dictionary smacked into her cranium. _

_Even though she seemed in control of everything here, Medusa wasn't stupid. She seemed cautious. Calculating. Almost like Maka. "I've been here since before you were even born."_

"_Yeah, yeah, I know," Maka's eyes narrowed. "You and your sisters kidnap men and do whatever it is you do with them. But you can't have Soul!"_

_Another chuckle; this one seemed almost genuine. "My sisters died a long time ago. Technically, I'm dead, too. But luckily I'd already placed my aspect in the Evans boy, so I guess you could say I'm still alive and kicking."_

_Medusa sneered when Maka became visibly confused. She continued. "I made a deal with Soul's ancestor. I give him whatever he wanted, and in exchange he would provide me with a favor. It just so happened that soon after my sisters and I were burned at the stake, so I had a convenient little backup plan. When my real body died, I simply set up shop here. Permanently."_

"_So that's the reason why you've been messing with my family all these years?" Soul interjected, eyes to the ceiling. He wanted to look her square in the face, but couldn't. "Because of a deal my idiot ancestor made with you? What the hell did he want in return?"_

"_My body, of course!" Medusa cackled. Both Soul and Maka immediately made disgusted faces, which didn't go unnoticed by the witch. She feigned being insulted. "I'll have you know I was much easier on the eyes when I was alive!"_

_She received no reaction from either party. Medusa's demeanor turned sour, but then quickly picked back up with a coy smile. She turned her attention to Soul, but made sure to lock eyes with Maka when she spoke. "Guess I'll just have to show you why he wanted me in the first place?"_

_There was a brief moment of silence as the realization of the witch's words sank in to Maka. Medusa continued to smile at her, but body shifted in Soul's direction. He said something aloud, along the lines of what the hell was going on, but Maka didn't hear any of it clearly. She was too caught up in the anger that started to boil up in the pit of her stomach. The witch's words had found their mark. Maka knew she was being goaded, but ultimately didn't care._

_Two things quickly happened; One was that Maka started to run towards Medusa, tome in tow and ready to bash her skull in. Second was the witch threw a hand up and made a motion, which caused the wall behind Maka to suddenly shift and spring to life. A few frantic steps is all the woman could muster before an arm made of shadowy snakes grabbed hold and pulled her backwards. The back of Maka's head smacked against the shifting mass of darkness, the wall somehow being both ethereal and solid as ever. _

"_Maka!" Soul shouted out to her, only able to hear her grunt in pain. Every muscle in his body struggled to move, but he just couldn't. He was forced to lie there and look up as a horrid face popped into his view. _

_A string of grimy teeth revealed themselves to Soul as he felt the sheets of the bed started to shift under the weight of another body. He glared daggers into the witch while she crawled into position on top of him, straddling him over the quilt that thankfully protected him from making direct contact with her. Still, the smell of rotten breath and the sight of her skulking visage made the back of his throat sting with bile. She was disgusting. She must have known it, too._

"_If I could move my arms right now I'd strangle you!" he barked, only growing angrier when all she did was smile at his threat._

"_I've had so much fun tormenting you Evans boys," Medusa taunted. She leaned in closer and let her matted hair dangle over Soul's face. "Especially you, Soul. You're more sensitive than the others. So tough on the outside, but when it all comes down to it you're just a scared little man looking for Maka to come save you."_

"_Don't listen to her, Soul!" Maka shouted out._

_Medusa immediately broke away from Soul to sneer menacingly at her other captive. "I'm sorry, this is a two-way conversation. How about you just shut up and watch?" _

_The witch snapped her fingers. Maka's scowl was quickly veiled by another arm of shadow as it wrapped around her mouth. She tried to protest, but quickly found that her words her completely muffled by the gag. Maka squirmed against the wall to try and break free, as Medusa turned her attention back to the man lying beneath her._

"_You're full of shit and I won't listen to anything you say," Soul seethed, unable to act on his impulse to beat Medusa to a pulp and get his girlfriend out of there._

"_I don't plan on saying much," the witch cooed, bring her face much, much closer to Soul's. The only response he could give her was a twitch of disgust as he felt her breath roll down his cheeks._

_Soul didn't like where this was going. He knew where Medusa's head was at; she wanted to make him and Maka suffer. The stupid hag thought she could make him squirm, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. Still, as she came closer and closer, her fetid stench knocking at his tightly sealed lips, Soul had to think of something to at least stall her. Draw this out. Give him some time to figure out what to do._

"_...On second thought," Soul relented, trying his best not to puke. "Tell me why you've been messing with my family. You're alive, right? What more do you want?"_

_Medusa paused. She still dangled over her prey, but seemed to at least entertain what seemed like a genuine thought. "To make you miserable, I suppose."_

"_I love watching you lose your minds slowly," the witch recounted, practically smiling in content. "It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside."_

"_But why make it worse now? You've been screwing with me my whole life, so what was the point of making the nightmares worse?" _

_Medusa rolled her eyes and pulled away slightly. This time, she seemed genuinely annoyed. "A woman's fickleness, Soul. In nine months I'll be out of your hair anyway, so I figured why not end our time together with a bang?"_

_Soul continued to bore holes into the hag atop him, but he soon relented when her words finally started to register in his ears. Medusa cocked her head to the side. She noticed the sudden change in Soul's demeanor, and immediately knew right away what sparked it. A wry smile snaked across her lips as she brought them just inches above Soul's. However, he was too lost in his own head to give a damn. His stare became a mile long, and he didn't even see her despite filling up the entirety of his vision._

"_That's right, Soul," Medusa cooed, soaking in his dumbfoundment. "You're going to get a bouncing baby boy, just like all the others. And I'm going to get another meatsack to inhabit, at least until another one comes along!"_

_The witch's words fell on deaf ears, or if they did in fact get through to Soul, it didn't show through on his face. He was frozen, the realization weighing on him like a ton of bricks, Whatever was going through his mind at the time, Medusa couldn't say, but that hardly mattered to her. She enjoyed every last second of his misfortune and didn't care much else besides that._

_Medusa leaned in close and hummed into Soul's ear. "I'm going to make his life even more of a hellhole than I made yours. I swear it."_

_She then pulled away and threw her head back in laughter. The bed shuddered under her cackling, and Soul along with it. His focus was weary, but he managed to muster up a scowl in resentment. Medusa meanwhile didn't care about how he reacted anymore. She was having too much fun, and her mad amusement echoed throughout the room. The walls undulated in response to her demeanor, as if they too were preoccupied in celebration. There was hissing in the background, more than likely some leftover snakes getting in on the dark festivities._

_Neither Soul nor Medusa seemed to notice a shift in the room. An air of pure fury that had wormed its way from its secluded spot and had suddenly come knocking with a vengeance. Soul at least had an excuse. He couldn't turn his head to see it coming, whereas Medusa was fully to blame for not catching it sooner. Eyes closed as she laughed, the witch was caught completely off guard by a sudden force as it hammered into the side of her head. _

_From his captive spot, Soul watched as Maka brought the sharp end of a giant book into Medusa's temple and sent the hag flying sideways. A post at the foot of the bed frame was knocked to pieces as her body caught it on the way down, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere. She landed with a muffled thud, as Maka stood next to the bed and huffed with adrenaline. Soul lay there awestruck as his girlfriend loomed with palpable anger, so thick that it was suffocating._

"_**You've tormented Soul his entire life! I've had it!"**__ Maka thundered, eyes wild with fire. __**"And if you think I'm going to let you get away with it again, then you've got another thing coming!"**_

_Filled with resolve and bloodlust, Maka gripped her book tight. She shook with every breath as Soul looked on from the corner of his eye. He was both relieved and thankful that she was safe, and also more than a little intimidated by just how pissed she looked right now. His stare lingered on her for the briefest of moments, before the sound of shuffling on the other side of the bed snatched his attention away._

_Maka straightened as the form of Medusa slowly rose back up. She looked almost like a specter the way she floated into place, head lowered and veiled by dirty hair. Maka stood her ground and waited for the witch to address her. A second later and she got her wish; Medusa brought her face up to reveal the blood that had spurted from her wound. Red fluid flowed down her cheek and onto the floor, but the most striking thing about her was that she now looked much more snake-like. Mouth long and wide, eyes slitted like a reptile's, and a forked tongue tasted the air between her lips. She was showing her true colors now. A cold blooded hag. _

"_**All the Evans sons belong to me!" **__Medusa hissed back. She crouched, ready to strike. __**"I need you alive, but that doesn't mean I won't rip your face off and shove it down your throat!"**_

_Maka squared up. "__**Go ahead and fucking try it-!"**_

_The conversation ended there. As Maka formed the words for another verbal assault, Medusa lunged forward like a cobra. Two thin frames collided in the middle of the bedroom, two women who on the surface didn't seem intimidating, but more than made up for it in sheer presence. They immediately latched onto each other and fell to the floor, fists curled and ready to be brought into one another's faces._

_Medusa landed on top, but Maka was quick to buck her off. The witch landed on her back as Maka rolled over, and the two struggled to assume dominance. There was shouting, cussing, and the sounds of punches both connecting and missing. In the background, a chorus of snakes hissed as if to egg them both on. All of this meanwhile as Soul remain completely useless. He had no way of knowing who was winning or even what was going on, and with each passing second he grew more frantic._

"_Maka! What's going on?!" he called out to her._

"_I'm busy, dammit!" she screamed back at him._

_Both Maka and Medusa continued to shout and blast expletives at one another. The sounds of thuds all across the bedroom floor told Soul that they were moving all over the place. He tried his best to see, but all he could make out were things he already knew; the two women were punching each other. Alot. Medusa, however, was much more intimidating than Maka, despite the latter's tenacity. The hag came equipped with sharpened nails, and she used them to great effect. Several times Soul heard his girlfriend's shrill hiss as claws dug into her flesh, and each time he wanted to jump up and end it all right there._

_But he couldn't. And as the seconds flew by, he quickly realized that Maka would suffer because of it. The slurs and shouts, which at first had belonged equally to the two women, were starting to overwhelmingly come from Medusa. To Soul's dismay, after some more tussling, there came a horrid growl from outside his field of vision. Then, he could see two bodies rise from the floor; one dangling from the throat as she tried to break free, and the other glaring into her captured prey like the animal she resembled._

"_Maka!" Soul shouted. "Put her down right fucking now you witch!"_

_Medusa tightened her grip. Her face contorted in manic delight as all the air left Maka's throat in a wheeze. "I'm going to let you taste death! Then I'll let you go! Over and over again...till you go insane!"_

_Maka clawed at the vice like grip around her neck. She tried kicking Medusa with her hanging feet, but her strength was quickly waning. "-You!...I...won't…ha-!"_

_Soul snarled. __**"I said let her go, dammit!"**_

_The witch ignored him completely, and instead shook the increasingly limp body in her hand for maximum effect. Maka closed her eyes and tried to stay calm, but Soul could tell she was fading fast. He shouted at both of them, but from his prison that was the most he could do. Medusa's low cackling reverberated throughout the room and banged at Soul's ears, reminding him just how pathetic he was that he couldn't even save his own girlfriend._

_At that moment, time stilled. From Soul's perspective, everything seemed to slow down as the image of Maka fighting for her life came to the forefront of his mind. In the background, Medusa's words from earlier echoed loud and clear; nine months, over and over again._

_Was she really telling the truth? Did that even matter right now? Part of him felt like it didn't, while the other part felt like it was the most important thing in the world. Because if it was true, there were two people who needed help right now. Three, if he also counted himself._

_Was he just going to lie there and accept that? Even at that moment, Soul tried to move. He struggled in vain, but that didn't stop him from berating himself over and over again in his head. What was really keeping him down? Medusa? This was his dream, dammit! His own mind, not hers! He was supposed to be in charge here, and no curse or deal that his ancestor made could take that from him. He couldn't afford to think otherwise. Not now. Now when so much was on the line._

_The sound of another wheeze snatched Soul's attention once more. He looked to find Maka there holding her hand out towards him. His heart sank. "...S-soul-"_

_A flash of desperation. The look of fear in her eyes. Right there, at that moment, Soul would find his resolve. _

_A strength suddenly flooded his body, and a rage he had never felt before spurred every muscle to finally twitch and bend. The spell over him seemed to fracture as extremities shuddered to break free. His hands flexed. Legs moved. Head, finally, started to turn. It all happened so fast, but for Soul it wasn't fast enough. He need to save Maka. It was the only thing that mattered right now. Get up. Go. Save her._

_He told himself that, over and over again. His body obliged, and the last remnants of his paralysis shattered at his final attempt to get up. In one motion, Soul hopped up from the bed. No lights, no fanfare; though it was a momentous occasion for him, there was no time to celebrate it. _

_The second his feet hit the floor, Soul went into action. He looked to Medusa and found she hadn't noticed him get up yet. He briefly considered just punching her, but that wasn't enough. He didn't just need to save Maka, he also needed to end this. Permanently. Thankfully, fate was kind to him this time and gave him a way out. It came to him in the form of a solid piece of splintered wood at his feet; the bed post that had broken off when Medusa went down. He picked it up. _

_The edge was sharp. It would do._

_Soul wasted no time. He turned around and found Maka almost completely unconscious. Medusa, as sick as ever, went in with her other hand to wring out the last drops of life from her before letting go. Soul's eyes flashed crimson; he wasn't about to let that happen. He came to them in two, maybe three steps, before lunging forward with his makeshift spear. There was zero hesitation in his strike. If anything, he relished the thought of what was about to happen._

_Medusa's laughter was cut short by a rib splitting pain. She stood there, frozen, as a chunk of wood erupted from her chest right where her heart would be. The witch immediately lost all strength and released Maka, the latter crumpling to the floor in a sudden gasp for air. Soul meanwhile used the rest of his strength to drive the stake in deeper, and he felt Medusa's body shake as her lungs emptied all at once. _

_She looked down at her death sentence, then glanced at the executioner. Her and Soul's eyes locked for a moment, each having a million things they wanted to say to the other. None of them were good, and all of them went unspoken. Only one word managed to make it through Medusa's lips, as a chorus of snakes hissed one last time around her in mourning. _

"_Evans…" _

_The witch's eyes soon faded, and any remaining strength she had disappeared as she tumbled. Medusa's empty husk fell to the floor next to Maka, landing with an unceremonious thud as her shadowy serpents all seemed to disappear at once. The witch remained, however. Her corpse was the only thing that proved it hadn't all just been a nightmare; just like that, it was over._

_Soul stood over her to briefly make sure the deed had been done, but then quickly went over to Maka. He crouched down and picked her head up as she coughed, her throat slowly opening up again to breathe. _

"_...Took you long enough-" Maka sputtered, though she ended her comment with a pained smirk._

_Soul smirked back, though regret hung heavy on his face. "Sorry for making you wait."_

"_Don't be," she coughed. The air was starting to come easier now. "Thanks for saving me."_

_Soul nodded. He looked around, still half-expecting something else to happen. "...It's over, right?"_

"_God I hope so," Maka shook her head. She leaned into Soul as he held her, and he pulled her in closer._

_Both he and Maka looked over to the now-dead witch, her body just inches away from them. They both gave a collective, disdainful look before breaking away for good. They instead scanned the room and found that the walls, which before seemed alive and menacing, were now still and unassuming. The area in general seemed much less threatening than before._

_At the same time, however, everything seemed to be getting darker. Not in an ominous way that caused them alarm, but rather it gave the feeling of a peaceful calm. It descended on the room like a still, quiet night, and began to veil both Soul and Maka in their entirety. They looked at one another, and somehow they knew not to be afraid. Something felt right about the darkness. Like it was where they were supposed to be now._

_The room, their bodies, Medusa's corpse, all of it was starting to get swallowed up by the void. Soul and Maka could still feel one another, but it was getting harder and harder to see. Neither thought to say anything until it got to the point that their vision had completely disappeared. Their sense of touch, too, was starting to wane._

"_Soul?" Maka's voice called out from somewhere. Soul assumed she was still in his arms, even though he couldn't tell for sure._

"_I think we're waking up, Maka." Again, there was no real way of knowing. _

_Silence. More darkness. At first Soul thought his hearing had gone as well, but then Maka's voice came through once more. "Assuming we remember all of this, we...have some things to talk about when we get back."_

"_Yeah…" Soul paused. He suddenly felt himself get drowsy. An odd thing to feel right before waking up, but it made sense in a weird sort of way. "Hey, Maka?"_

"_What?"_

"_I love you."_

_He didn't say it often enough. After all this, he'd be sure to fix that._

_Soul waited to hear it back. Whether or not he did, or if he even remembered her saying it, he could never be sure. Because at that moment the last of his senses ended up leaving him, and his final thoughts of Maka were drowned out in a sea of darkness. Maybe, in the pit of his heart, that was fine. Afterall, it was only a dream. And every dream has to end sometime._

* * *

Light from the midday sun filtered through curtains a little too thin for their own good. Bright rays hounded Soul no matter where he moved his head, and he was unable to take a new position on the couch thanks to Maka leaning against him. He growled in annoyance as he flipped the channel on the TV, while Maka either failed to notice or simply didn't care as she continued talking on the phone.

"...No, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a boy," she chatted. On the other end was her friend from work, Tsubaki. "Hm? Well, I, uh...y'know, mother's intuition, I guess.'

Soul looked down at Maka from the corner of his eye, finding her doing the same to him. He gave her a lazy grin, and she smiled back before continuing on with her baby talk. Maka scooted in just a little bit closer, and conveniently blocked out the stray sunbeam that'd been bugging Soul the whole time. He immediately eased and rested his head atop hers, the two curled up cozily together in their living room.

A month and a half. That's how much time had passed since their encounter with Medusa and eventual wakening in Stein's room. When they finally came to, both Soul and Maka could recall everything that had happened during their time in the dream state. Stein, ever the scholar, vigorously interrogated them for every detail that had transpired. After, of course, they had gotten some rest. A nap from their nap, as Stein had put it.

It became immediately apparent that Soul no longer suffered from night terrors or sleep paralysis. At first Maka was cautious, and was hesitant to believe it was true until the first few nights they slept in their own bed back home. At no point did Soul wake up, except for the occasional midnight bathroom visit. For the first time since he could remember, he actually got a full night's sleep. And so it was like that every subsequent night, until it no longer seemed out of the ordinary. Like he had slept that way his entire life.

With one problem gone, another reared its head. Well, actually, it wasn't a _problem,_ just something that needed dealing with. A conversation, one that had been postponed as the euphoria of Soul's cure started to wane. It was necessary, but ultimately pointless. Soul and Maka simply rehashed things that they already knew deep down and reaffirmed them out loud; several points ended up being made. First, they agreed not to move in with their parents and instead rent a bigger apartment. Second, they were going to take parenting classes. Third, at some point, they were going to get a cat (it would be a puppy, but their current apartment didn't allow dogs)

Fourth, and finally, she admitted to having heard him in the dream. And yes, she eventually did say it back.

Things were still kind of up in the air in terms of planning. To make things more (or less) complicated, Stein and his wife Marie insisted on helping with the baby. That, and once the latter found out Stein had actually made some friends for once, demanded that Soul and Maka come over to their house for dinner at least once a month. Maka apprehensively accepted the invitation, whereas Soul was just happy to get some free food and the possibility to make nice with some future baby-sitters.

Soul's parents were ecstatic about the baby. They always liked Maka, so it wasn't a wholly unwelcome surprise. That being said, it gave Mrs. Evans new fodder to demand they come over more so she could talk their ears off. This time, it was Soul who reluctantly agreed. Maka unfortunately had no choice but to go along with it.

In the meantime, things around the apartment had settled into an uneasy calm. The two of them were happy to get their lives back in order, and at the same time were anxious and nervous about what things would be like by the following year. Diapers. Bottles. Poop. Throw up. The glamorous lives of soon-to-be parents. Even with all the scenarios that ran through their heads, they had no idea what was in store for them.

That being said, they handled it well. And they didn't worry about things too much; if anything they had grown more accustomed to days like this. Sitting on the couch, basking in being normal for once. Soul with his feet on the coffee table (which Maka had told him multiple times not to do), and Maka curled up next to him while talking with either Tsubaki, Marie, or one of their moms. Today was no different, and they both relished in the relative quiet together.

One, admittedly, relished it more than the other. Because as his other half chatted away making plans for the inevitable baby shower, he glanced over at the large seat cushion on his other side. He'd placed something there earlier, or rather hid it before Maka could see him looking at it. When she sat down he was forced to stow it away for later, but...the more he thought about it, the better it seemed to pull it out now.

Soul looked to his left, finding Maka completely oblivious to the scheme that was being hatched next to her. He smirked to himself as he dug through the sofa cushion with his other hand and quickly pulled out a little black box. Soul thumbed fine velvet as he imagined the contents that lay inside, at no point feeling any hesitation about what he was about to do. After all, the only reason he hadn't up until this point was because of Medusa. And now that she was gone, there weren't any more excuses.

"Hey, Maka?" He nudged her head with his shoulder, and she looked up.

"Yeah?" Maka put a hand to the phone and raised a brow.

Soul gave her another lazy grin. He started to pull the box out. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you…"

* * *

**A.N**

IT. IS. FINISHED.

Happy Resbang and Happy Holidays!


End file.
